Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Inspired Date Night
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What do you imagine when you think of mythological creatures?
Do you think of sirens leading men to their watery deaths? Do you think of dragons breathing fire to defend their domain? How about fairies constantly bringing people bad luck, or the sphinx issuing out high-stakes riddles?
One of the most remarkable things about mythological creatures is how a vast array of places and cultures have written about them throughout history and how they are still pervasive in our literature and collective imagination today. Not only that, but many of the creatures crop up in multiple cultures and go on to develop different characteristics depending on the culture.
An example is the mermaid, or gender neutralized merperson. Tales of people that are half-human and half-fish have appeared in folklore from the Near East, Europe, Asia, and Africa. They have also appeared in historical accounts, like those of Christopher Columbus sailing the Caribbean Sea. It is generally believed that sailors’ sightings of marine creatures like the dugong or manatee in crashing waves, perhaps combined with a longing for women, led to the creation of these myths.
Where would we be if people long ago hadn’t let their imaginations run a little bit wild? Where would we be without vampires, werewolves, centaurs, or a whole bunch of mixed animal part creatures? One thing is for certain—our modes of entertainment would take a huge hit.
With the release of the second Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them coming up this Friday, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity for yet another magical date night inspired by the world of Harry Potter. This time, we are taking a leaf out of Newt Scamander’s book and focusing on the wonder of mythical (or in their world, magical) creatures.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Inspired Date Night
Time: 3+ hours | Cost: $ | Location: At Home or On the Town | Level: Easy
Have a magical night at home or hit the movie theater for this Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them inspired date night. Start by baking strudel and making hot cocoa a la Queenie. Once ready, with your whole house smelling like heaven, dig in while you watch the first movie (OR eat the strudel after seeing the second movie in theaters). Then, get artsy and creative as you color in the mythical creatures, answer trivia, and create a beast of your own.
Materials Needed:
Printable Suitcase Invite
Printable Recipes - Queenie’s Apple Strudel and Hot Chocolate
Printable “Know Your Mythical Creatures” Sheets
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them OR
The Crimes of Grindelwald
Harry Potter Spotify Playlist
Pottermore or Fantastic Beasts the book
Apple Strudel Ingredients, Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
Colored Pencils, Markers, or Other
Instructions:
Download the free printables below--including your invite, recipes, and "Know Your Mythical Creatures" sheets--and print. Cut out the pieces (we recommend using a portable paper cutter). Collect your materials.
Deliver the invite to your date. You could leave it out on the counter one morning, send it via snail mail, pin it to your fridge, or come up with something else creative. Try downloading our This Week's Date Night... printable and framing it or putting it on your fridge so you can look forward to your date all week long.
When your date arrives that evening, have our playlist playing.
After dinner, make and eat Queenie’s Apple Strudel and Hot Chocolate for dessert while you watch the movie. (To keep to theme for dinner, you could make New York style hot dogs.) If you go out to the movie theater, make dessert after the movie.
Finally, color in the magical creature sheets, answer the trivia, and create your own Fantastic Beast.
Optionally finish off the night by reading your favorite passages from the book, or explore more creatures on Pottermore.
Share your experience with us on social media @makeadateofit!
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This Post was Last Updated 01/01/2019
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